Please explain vitreofoveal traction in layman's terms. any nonsurgical treatments? what is prognosis if left untreated? dad age 84 just diagnosed w/vft. not a candidate for surgery due to age and other complicating factors, as per retinal specialist see

Simply : Simply put, the jelly the fills the back part of the eye (vitreous humour) pulls on the central part of the retina where the best vision resides--this can cause a hole to form in this area which can have severe impact on visual acuity. If the retina specialists feels that the vision is effected enough to merit the risks of surgery, vitrectomy can really help the quality of vision.

As : As we age the jelly in the back of the eye condenses and pulls away from its normal attachment to the retina (the part of the eye which sees). Sometimes the attachment to the center of the vision does not release and the jelly pulls on the central retina. This causes the retina at this location to swell, resulting in decreased vision. Sometimes the attachment releases with time but if it does not the pulling/swelling eventually cause scarring and damage to the retina. The vision may improve if the pulling releases on its own, but otherwise the vision will likely worsen with time. Surgical therapy (vitrectomy with membrane pealing) is usually considered but if your father is not a candidate there are some intravitreal injections which have some efficacy in cases such as this. I would recommend discussing these options with your current retina specialist or getting a second opinion to explore these options.

The : The center of the eye is filled with a vitreous. This is a substance similar to jello and is attached to the retina at several points. As we age, the vitreous melts and the remaining strands can pull on the retina. Often this is benign but can lead to retinal swelling, retinal tear or cause macula hole. To treat or not to treat depends on the risk verses benefit and is best left to the examing surgeon to discuss.

See below: As we age, the vitreous jelly changes and pulls away from the back wall of the eye (retina), if it fails to let go properly, it can stick to the macula (central retina) and pull (traction), causing central vision distortion. Vitrectomy can help, but if your dad is not a surgical candidate, then ask your retina specialist about jetrea (ocriplasmin): an injectable enzyme that may help.

VMT VFT treatment: New treatment jetrea is for symptomatic vft/vmt. It doesn't always work though so surgery can still be done. Because of his age, surgery would be safest under local anesthesia. If untreated, he simply won't see well. Surgery can be under an hour in length. The medication is expensive and works about 26% of the time for vmt but worth a try if surgery not an option.